Religion and Society in Islamicate History (900-1300 CE) from Shiʿi Centuries to Mongol Invasions (Hajiani)

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2022

Between 900 to 1300 CE, Islamicate societies were characterized by drastic transformations in religious thought, political authority and institutions as the Shiʿi dynasties (Ismaili Fatimids and Ithnaʾashari Buyids) were overthrown and replaced by rulers who enabled the establishment of Sunni dominance. This period is also marked by two nomadic invasions (Saljuq Turks and Mongols) and their aftermaths which convulsed the Islamicate realms. In this advanced level multi-disciplinary course, we will unpack the complex histories of societies and study the socio-political, intellectual and theological developments from the Shiʿi Centuries to the Mongol Invasions. We will examine the crystallisation of Ithnaʾashari Shiʿism; the religio-political challenges of the Fatimid and Nizari Ismailis in their conflicts and relations with the Sunni Abbasid-Saljuq establishment. We will probe the contexts and impetus for the emergence of Sunni hegemony. We will explore the rise of Alid loyalism and the spread of Sufi ṭarīqahs (orders). We will analyse the formation of nomadic empires and their impacts on religion and societies. We will examine the shifts from legitimations of political authority in relation to the Prophet Muhammad to Chinggisid legitimations of rule after the Mongols decapitated the Nizari polity in Iran (1256) and the Abbasid caliphate (1258).